The present invention relates generally to sensing temperature, and particularly to thermocouples designed to sense temperature at multiple points.
Thermocouples are used in a variety of applications to sense temperature at a given location. A typical thermocouple comprises an external sheath and a pair of rod-shaped conductors disposed longitudinally within the sheath. Each conductor is of a dissimilar metallic material, and the two conductors are joined at a distal end within the sheath. An electrical insulation material also is packed about the rods within the sheath. The free ends of the conductors are connected to a detection instrument, such as a voltmeter, that measures the difference in potential created at the junction of the two metals. This difference in potential changes with temperature, thereby readily permitting the accurate detection of temperature at the junction point.
The present invention relates generally to a multipoint thermocouple system. One exemplary embodiment of the system comprises a sheath. Within the sheath, a plurality of conductor pairs are disposed. Each conductor pair comprises two conductors of dissimilar materials that are joined at a junction point. Each pair is designed such that its junction point is at a unique longitudinal location along the sheath. Thus, a multipoint thermocouple with a single sheath can be utilized to sense temperature at a plurality of distinct locations. The conductor pairs are electrically separated by an electrical insulation material disposed about the conductor pairs within the sheath. The invention also relates to a methodology for sensing temperatures at a variety of locations via a multipoint thermocouple.